6 ms·

I realise Berghain et al are trying to protect themselves from the riff raff, but enforcing a stupid "techno uniform" and turning away half their potential cust

by cedws 3y ago

I realise Berghain et al are trying to protect themselves from the riff raff, but enforcing a stupid "techno uniform" and turning away half their potential customers for arbitrary reasons probably doesn't help their business. I went to Berlin earlier this year and didn't even try to get into Berghain because I don't want to waste time queuing only to be turned away. In London we have some excellent clubs that don't care whatsoever about what you're wearing and everybody has a great time. You buy a ticket, you get in, simple as that.

aleph_minus_one 3y ago
> I realise Berghain et al are trying to protect themselves from the riff raff, but enforcing a stupid "techno uniform" and turning away half their potential customers for arbitrary reasons probably doesn't help their business. Berghain is very elitist in this regard. There exist lots of other clubs in Berlin.
- kabes 3y ago
  I've always heard this, but I got in first try and I was the least techno looking of the queue. And it was pretty crowded. In contrast to some other Berlin clubs that had an hours long line while having barely any people inside. Maybe I got lucky.
gedy 3y ago
Berghain is a sex club though, no? It's not just a place to dance and drink. I'd never go there myself, but I kind of get the point of being selective.
- cedws 3y ago
  AFAIK it has an area for that, but it is primarily a music venue.
- spacemadness 3y ago
  Uh, no. The focus is the music and dancing. It’s as much a “sex club” as any other dance club. Source: I’ve been to Berghain.
  - crucialfelix 3y ago
    Laboratory is definitely a sex club, but it has a separate entrance. Source: I've been there on NYE when they open the door between the two.
deng 3y ago
Actually, Berghain does it pretty well. Usually the bouncers walk the line and already tell people when they definitely will not get in. This avoids a lot of drama at the door, and people don't have to wait needlessly and can still comfortably go someplace else. Berghain is one of the most famous clubs in the world. It has and cultivates an underground image, which is why people want to go there in the first place. You don't need a "uniform", on the contrary, individualism is what will get you in without problems. Just don't be an obvious tourist who just wants to tick a box for their Berlin visit.
- cedws 3y ago
  Berghain has created the problem of being a tourist magnet for itself by being exclusive. As someone who loves techno, I'd much rather everybody gets to join in and enjoy themselves instead of just those who meet the bar. As long as you establish rules, like no photos/videos. You can't "convert" people who don't get the experience. >You don't need a "uniform", Everybody says you need to wear black. Even the tourists have wisened up to that.
  - deng 3y ago
    > Everybody says you need to wear black. That is false. Look, if you just made it for everybody, it would no longer be a club with an underground image. Berghain is a tourist magnet because it simply is an unbelievable location straight out of a Mad Max movie, paired with a Funktion-One sound system that fits your head like a headphone, featuring the best techno DJs in the world, and you can spend your whole weekend there without ever leaving the club. They surely do not struggle financially, on the contrary, the owners are probably swimming in money and only still do it because it's fun. Besides, let me say there's lots of other clubs in Berlin you can go to. The article is correct that there used to be much, much more, but the main issue for clubs is not attendance, but like pretty much in every big city: rising rent and neighbors who complain about noise and garbage.
    - cedws 3y ago
      >if you just made it for everybody, it would no longer be a club with an underground image. It is clearly not underground because everybody knows about it. It only achieves the "image" through arbitrary discrimination. That is the least punk as you can get. None of what you said makes Berghain great goes away by letting more people experience it. The sound system and DJs will still be there. I guarantee if Berghain stopped trying to be techno Mecca, the riff raff would lose interest, and you wouldn't need the picky bouncers. There's a particular club I go to in London that this works perfectly well for.
lemax 3y ago
You do not need to wear a uniform to get into Berghain. The bouncers, above all, are looking for interesting people who they believe will add something to the mix rather than just go there to consume and gawk. There really is not much to conform to, other than some contextual awareness of the fact that you're going to a techno venue and there is a certain culture behind that, e.g. flashy logos or ostentatious clothing is generally frowned upon, and you should be dressed comfortably enough to actually rave. Most importantly, I think, you need to give off a vibe of freedom and non judgement, the things going on in Berghain are not for everyone. Elon didn't get in, and frankly it would probably be a buzzkill if he did.
- projectazorian 3y ago
  Elon didn’t get in because letting a celebrity billionaire in would be death for any Berlin club. It would make the scene’s champagne Marxism just a little too obvious for comfort. It has nothing to do with his vibe. A non-celebrity ultra high net worth individual would get the red carpet treatment. Berghain guestlist isn’t at all hard to get.
throwawaaarrgh 3y ago
> but enforcing a stupid "techno uniform" and turning away half their potential customers for arbitrary reasons probably doesn't help their business. That's literally all they're known for. It's their whole business model. "Don't come because you probably won't get in" -> everyone tries to get in
gautamcgoel 3y ago
I heard the exact opposite about London clubs - my friend told me they find all kinds of stupid reasons not to let you in.
- vidarh 3y ago
  The only time I've ever gotten thrown out of a club I was thrown out of a London club "for being drunk" despite not having had a drink yet (and nothing else either), and just standing calmly by the bar. I think they'd just decided there was too much of a gender imbalance already and decided to throw out a number of guys, as I wasn't the only one. I take some pleasure from the fact that club went out of business a couple of years later. Central London clubs can be really brutal and arbitrary if you're a guy in particular (but certainly not only). Outside of Central London things quickly get more reasonable.
huytersd 3y ago
I went knowing full well I wasn’t cool enough to get in. Atleast I can say I tried.

by cedws 3y ago

aleph_minus_one 3y ago

> I realise Berghain et al are trying to protect themselves from the riff raff, but enforcing a stupid "techno uniform" and turning away half their potential customers for arbitrary reasons probably doesn't help their business. Berghain is very elitist in this regard. There exist lots of other clubs in Berlin.

kabes 3y ago
I've always heard this, but I got in first try and I was the least techno looking of the queue. And it was pretty crowded. In contrast to some other Berlin clubs that had an hours long line while having barely any people inside. Maybe I got lucky.

gedy 3y ago

Berghain is a sex club though, no? It's not just a place to dance and drink. I'd never go there myself, but I kind of get the point of being selective.

cedws 3y ago
AFAIK it has an area for that, but it is primarily a music venue.
spacemadness 3y ago
Uh, no. The focus is the music and dancing. It’s as much a “sex club” as any other dance club. Source: I’ve been to Berghain.
- crucialfelix 3y ago
  Laboratory is definitely a sex club, but it has a separate entrance. Source: I've been there on NYE when they open the door between the two.

deng 3y ago

Actually, Berghain does it pretty well. Usually the bouncers walk the line and already tell people when they definitely will not get in. This avoids a lot of drama at the door, and people don't have to wait needlessly and can still comfortably go someplace else. Berghain is one of the most famous clubs in the world. It has and cultivates an underground image, which is why people want to go there in the first place. You don't need a "uniform", on the contrary, individualism is what will get you in without problems. Just don't be an obvious tourist who just wants to tick a box for their Berlin visit.

cedws 3y ago
Berghain has created the problem of being a tourist magnet for itself by being exclusive. As someone who loves techno, I'd much rather everybody gets to join in and enjoy themselves instead of just those who meet the bar. As long as you establish rules, like no photos/videos. You can't "convert" people who don't get the experience. >You don't need a "uniform", Everybody says you need to wear black. Even the tourists have wisened up to that.
- deng 3y ago
  > Everybody says you need to wear black. That is false. Look, if you just made it for everybody, it would no longer be a club with an underground image. Berghain is a tourist magnet because it simply is an unbelievable location straight out of a Mad Max movie, paired with a Funktion-One sound system that fits your head like a headphone, featuring the best techno DJs in the world, and you can spend your whole weekend there without ever leaving the club. They surely do not struggle financially, on the contrary, the owners are probably swimming in money and only still do it because it's fun. Besides, let me say there's lots of other clubs in Berlin you can go to. The article is correct that there used to be much, much more, but the main issue for clubs is not attendance, but like pretty much in every big city: rising rent and neighbors who complain about noise and garbage.
  - cedws 3y ago
    >if you just made it for everybody, it would no longer be a club with an underground image. It is clearly not underground because everybody knows about it. It only achieves the "image" through arbitrary discrimination. That is the least punk as you can get. None of what you said makes Berghain great goes away by letting more people experience it. The sound system and DJs will still be there. I guarantee if Berghain stopped trying to be techno Mecca, the riff raff would lose interest, and you wouldn't need the picky bouncers. There's a particular club I go to in London that this works perfectly well for.

lemax 3y ago

You do not need to wear a uniform to get into Berghain. The bouncers, above all, are looking for interesting people who they believe will add something to the mix rather than just go there to consume and gawk. There really is not much to conform to, other than some contextual awareness of the fact that you're going to a techno venue and there is a certain culture behind that, e.g. flashy logos or ostentatious clothing is generally frowned upon, and you should be dressed comfortably enough to actually rave. Most importantly, I think, you need to give off a vibe of freedom and non judgement, the things going on in Berghain are not for everyone. Elon didn't get in, and frankly it would probably be a buzzkill if he did.

projectazorian 3y ago
Elon didn’t get in because letting a celebrity billionaire in would be death for any Berlin club. It would make the scene’s champagne Marxism just a little too obvious for comfort. It has nothing to do with his vibe. A non-celebrity ultra high net worth individual would get the red carpet treatment. Berghain guestlist isn’t at all hard to get.

throwawaaarrgh 3y ago

> but enforcing a stupid "techno uniform" and turning away half their potential customers for arbitrary reasons probably doesn't help their business. That's literally all they're known for. It's their whole business model. "Don't come because you probably won't get in" -> everyone tries to get in

gautamcgoel 3y ago

I heard the exact opposite about London clubs - my friend told me they find all kinds of stupid reasons not to let you in.

vidarh 3y ago
The only time I've ever gotten thrown out of a club I was thrown out of a London club "for being drunk" despite not having had a drink yet (and nothing else either), and just standing calmly by the bar. I think they'd just decided there was too much of a gender imbalance already and decided to throw out a number of guys, as I wasn't the only one. I take some pleasure from the fact that club went out of business a couple of years later. Central London clubs can be really brutal and arbitrary if you're a guy in particular (but certainly not only). Outside of Central London things quickly get more reasonable.

huytersd 3y ago

I went knowing full well I wasn’t cool enough to get in. Atleast I can say I tried.